carpet mites

We have purchased several of your products and have been very satisfied.
Now we have a problem with carpet mites. They are so small as to be almost undetectable. What do you suggest we use to get rid of them? They will bite and leave a small red mark.

There are many pests that people call carpet mites. The most common are DUST MITES or STRAW ITCH MITES. Both of these will commonly live inside the home and can be a problem if not treated as we explain in our articles. Other pests that find their way inside the home that could be causing the discomfort include FLEAS, CHIGGERS, SPIDER MITES and CLOVER MITES. At this time I suggest you review the information we have posted for these pests to help identify which of these is most likely the one you have active. Once you get a good handle on just which pest is involved, you can begin to treat with the products listed in their respective article. If you have any further questions, give us a call at 1.800.877.7290.

Comments on carpet mites

Leslie King @
1:06 am

Tech Support @
7:08 am

@Leslie King: At this point you need to both confirm you have something active and then we'll need to know exactly what it is in order to prescribe a treatment regime. To start, setting out some HEATED FLEA TRAPS and GLUEPAD MONITORS in any room where you've seen these "bugs". The Heated Traps will target more than just fleas; over the years we have used these to identify a wide range of biting pests that target people and they can be quite helpful. Glue Pads are almost as valuable. Get them installed in every room you have seen activity and leave them be for 1-2 weeks. If after 2 weeks you see some pests have been caught, send them to us for proper id and at that point we'll recommend what to do. Here are direct links to the products mentioned above:

guest @
7:32 am

We had a problem with fleas last year. We got rid of the dog, treated the yard, treated the carpet and shampooed it. We have not seen a flea until about 3 weeks ago when we started to find two or three a day. My children play on the floor and mostly they found them on their leg/arm etc or on their sock. Should we treat again or is this a fluke with the fleas coming in from the yard as we walk in. Our neighbor has a dog that we felt last year was the reason our dog got fleas to begin with. Also, I notice "bites" occasionally as I am sitting at my desk at my make-up mirror. Could this be carpet mites—I have looked with a flash light and never been able to see anything. Thanks.

Tech Support @
7:45 am

@guest: Based on the information you've provided, I think it's safe to say you have hatching flea pupae. If you read our flea control article, you'll learn removing a pet when fleas are present means people will become their target. Unfortunately this problem could go on for some time unless you take action and without a local pet in the home to absorb the hatching pupae, I'm afraid everyone inside will be prime targets indefinitely even if you treat! Worse yet is every flea that feeds could end up laying eggs which in turn will make the problem persist.
To prevent this from happening, I suggest you get some Flea Traps installed ASAP. I also suggest you either start spraying with Permethrin about once a week till the fleas have all hatched out and are gone or apply our Once a Year carpet treatment and be done with treating. You could also do both since either works on different phases of the flea.
The Permethrin and/or Flea Granules will help but again, since you can't kill the pupae (and because you don't know how many are in the home), I'm afraid you have no choice but to wait it out till all have hatched and cannot reproduce. This process can take weeks (even months). Here are links so you can both read up on the Flea Cycle along with the products mentioned above:

Oh, and the "bites" you're getting around your makeup station are most likely hatching pupae too. These guys are really small and as our article explains, they won't stick around once they get a meal. Typically they'll hatch when someone is close by, land on the target undetected, take a bite and immediately jump away to mate and lay eggs. Regardless, even if you end up having some other kind of pest in the carpet, either of the recommended treatments above will handle them so in the end, you should get a resolution if you follow my recommendation.

Jean @
5:38 pm

I have carpet beetles (no carpeting), they were in the closets, draws and beds. Not in the kitchen much. Also, I have plenty of brownish and reddish mites outside and getting in through the basement window.

How do I get rid of this unbelievable infestation of mites and carpet beetles? Also, are carpet beetles the same as clover mites?

Tech Support @
8:27 am

Carpet beetles are entirely different from clover mites. Carpet beetles will typically infest carpeting, drapery, furniture, mattresses and clothing feeding on the natural fibers used in these areas. Read up on this pest here:

Now since you don't have carpets, your problem is most likely focused in one area like a closet, on some drapery or maybe even a few pieces of furniture. Any such area suspected of having activity should be treated with the Defense SC or the Bedlam Plus listed in our article. The Defense is a liquid concentrate that is applied with a pump sprayer and good for treating large areas.

For small spot treating, the Bedlam aerosol is probably the easier way to proceed. It's well suited for use on furniture, drapery and bedding since its ready to use and won't be as messy compared to the liquid.

Now if you decide to get the Defense SC, it will work well on the Clover mites and can be applied to the ground and foundation where this pest is usually active. And if you're seeing this pest inside too, the Bedlam Plus used for carpet beetles will take care of any clover mites found inside too.

Give us a call if you need more help. Our toll free is 1-800-877-7290 and we're open 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM Mon-Thur; 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM Friday and 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM Saturday, Eastern Standard Time.

PS: Please show your support for our business by purchasing the items we recommend from the links provided. Remember, this is the only way we can stay around and be here to answer your questions and keep our web site up and running. Thanks for your business!

Lou @
2:31 pm

Tech Support @
7:58 am

Lou,

There are many pests that can do this like gnats, fungus flies, fruit flies, mosquitoes, noseeums, midges, etc. The easiest and most effective way to control the problem is to install aerosol machines in any room with activity. These machines should be set up with metered insecticide which is essentially a flying insect killer.

The machine will release a small amount of product every 15 minutes which will kill any type of flying insect. You'll need one machine for every 400 sq/ft so most homes need 3-5 to get decent coverage.